ABSTRACT

Transportation of live fish is possibly one of the most challenging parts of fish culture due to poor water exchange leading to low dissolved oxygen levels. Fish seeds must get to destinations of

grow outs which are not always located close to fish hatcheries from which fish seeds are obtainable. Hence, transportation of fish seeds is almost unavoidable. Finding the most effective way to transport fish seed means a reduction in loss of fish and money. In this study, the effects of different types of cooking oils (palm oil, groundnut oil and sunflower oil) on Clarias gariepinus juveniles during transportation was examined. The juveniles were transported in 10 litres kegs containing water and 5.0ml of each cooking oil and a transport medium without oil (the control). The water quality parameters of each transport medium was monitored and recorded at the start of the experiment and after four and eight hours.

Generally there was no significant difference in the temperature and nitrite levels of all transport mediums at the end of the transportation exercise. There was an increase in pH of transport media containing groundnut and sunflower oil from 6.32 – 6.62 and 6.32 – 7.97 respectively while the transport medium containing palm oil recorded a decrease in pH from 6.32 – 6.01 and the control having no significant difference in pH levels. The highest volume of dissolved oxygen was observed in the transport medium containing groundnut oil (80.5mg/l) and palm oil (79.7mg/l) and the lowest volume of dissolved oxygen was observed in the transport medium containing sunflower oil (77.4mg/l) indicating a reduction in dissolved oxygen levels across transport media after eight hours. In conclusion, this study suggests that palm oil and groundnut oil may be applied to transport media used for transportation of catfish juveniles as they both maintain good water quality parameters and have no negative effect on fish survival.